Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Today is the memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe and the vigil of the Assumption of our Blessed Mother. St. Maximilian would have loved to know that these dates coincide, such that a day in honor of him is cut off in the evening in order to honor the Virgin Mother of God.

This saint has been a major influence on my life, inflaming my desire to become a priest and to give myself more completely to the intercession of Our Lady. His entire life was informed by unceasing consecration to her and imitation of this is what brought me as far as I am in the spiritual life.

Only a couple years ago did I ever hear that anything he wrote caused controversy among theologians and since then I've been less zealous in my devotion to him, not that I do not hold him in great esteem, but only that I want to be more sure about those points that cause uncertainty. Much of his teaching on Mary is related to his understanding of the Trinity, a subject of study I have not spent time on since coming to TAC. Yet this next year, I will study what St. Thomas teaches and thus have the foundation to approach these mysteries with greater confidence. Much has been made (by certain Franciscans) about St. Kolbe's reliance on Bl. Scotus, thus I've spent time trying to understand Scotus. Although he is the champion of the Immaculate Conception, his philosophy seems lacking in some respects (my thesis will directly contradict certain doctrines of his).

All that put aside, I should continue to look on St. Maximilian as an exemplar of devotion to Mary and continue to seek his intercession as I move closer to the priesthood and the kingdom to come.

Monday, August 13, 2012

I am considering a division of my essay into three parts:
1. The individual is not the object of the intellect. (matter)
2. How it is that we know individuals. (interior senses)
3. Separated knowers also know individuals. (immaterial likeness of matter)

That may look like 3 different thesis topics, but the last two points are responses to the most obvious objections. I will primarily be drawing on St. Thomas in my arguments.

The main argument for the first point is taken almost completely from De Veritate, and this argument will require me to know rather thoroughly about the intellect and about matter. I have read a lot of St. Thomas on the intellect and should continue to become more familiar with the intellect and its immateriality. Matter is in a way more difficult because I only know that it is dealt with at length in the Metaphysics, a work I am hesitant to approach, though I have begun book 7 (where he begins the science of substance). One problem is being able give a satisfying account of what it means for matter to be wholly in potency. Scotus objects to that claim, so I should perhaps find that. Scotus also differs from Thomas on the principle of individuation, which is another middle term in the argument. Thus, I have plenty that I still need to read in order to defend my premises, although the argument is sound. I'll type that argument up before long.

The second point is perhaps the most difficult because I'm not sure how thorough to get. The answer will involve the interior senses and how thy relate to the intellect. Thomas says some key things in this but does not go into great detail. Thus I'm considering reading Albert to get a more thorough grasp of how they work, though I might even have to look at some modern brain science. That might be too much. Here is also where I should be familiar with modern philosophers who don't grasp the distinction between sense and intellect.

The third point will be especially fun. It was actually the topic that I told my advisor I would be doing. Avicenna holds the false position here, saying that no intellect can no singulars. Though that is true for our intellect now, it is not the case with God, the angels, and the separated souls. Here I will explain why God must know matter and consequently all individuals. Then how the knowledge of the other intellects take part in this knowledge.

This looks pretty concise. I'm hoping it will do the job. If I can finish a decent draft, then I will be free to study more Plato and write a couple essays on that. Also on the Physics. And Scripture. And Newton. So much good!